Backblaze Launches B2 Cloud Storage

There is cloud storage and then there is “cloud storage”. What is the difference, well one is the consumer style cloud storage service like Dropbox or Box then there is the “cloud storage” that is often what powers those services, like Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure. Today Backblaze has stepped up to not only be a consumer cloud backup service but also to become the next “cloud storage” service with the lauching of Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage.

Backblaze B2 is very different from the consumer cloud backup Backblaze service, but it has its roots in some of the same technology, mainly the Backblaze storage pod, the Backblaze vault and a desire by Backblaze to do it better and cheaper than everyone else out there.

Unlike Backblaze backup there is no fancy desktop client to upload your data. You can use the simple web interface to upload and share your data. You can use an API to connect to the Backblaze B2 service and upload and download data or you can use a command line interface to do the same. This opens up Backblaze to many more developers, coders and general geeks to storing large amounts of data cheaply and efficiently. It might even be possible to see a desktop app like ExpanDrive to include Backblaze B2 as a service and allow easy desktop access to your files.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Backblaze B2 and Amazon S3 and the other cloud storage infrastructure services is the price. The pricing for Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Storage are complicated Backblaze B2 makes pricing simple compared to those services. The paid version starts at $0.005/GB/Month for storage with all uploads being free. Downloads are $0.05/GB and transactions are $0.004 per 10,000 downloads and $0.004 per 1,000 other transactions. The free tier offers 10GB of free storage with free uploads and 1GB of downloads / day for free.

The end result is Backblaze B2 comes out cheaper and not just a little cheaper but A LOT cheaper. The cost to store data with Backblaze B2 would be roughly 1/4th the price of Amazon. That could help sway people to using Backblaze B2 from the other services, and I am sure Backblaze is counting on it. Cloud storage has become one the largest expenses for many services and providing a consistent and reliable cloud storage service cheaper will save those companies money. Just think about how much money Bitcasa could have saved if Backblaze B2 had been around instead of them relying on Amazon.

If you currently use Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud for your storage will you be considering switching or adding Backblaze B2 as well?

Want to know more about Backblaze? Read our complete Backblaze review for more information.